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Throughout the winter, nordic and backcountry ski events take place to increase your skills, to test your internal drive.

November

Festivals

Yellowstone Ski Festival – West Yellowstone, MT, on the Rendezvous Ski Trails during Thanksgiving week. This annual event brings together skiers from across the nation for clinics, demos, races and a ski show. Earn your holiday feast.

January

Winter Trail Days is held every January nationwide to promote cross country skiing and snowshoeing. This one day event is held at nordic resorts and trailheads to encourage newcomers to winter sports.

February

Bear Valley Telemark Festival – Bear Valley, CA, hosted by Mountain Adventure Seminars and is around the second week in February, in Bear Valley, CA.

Eastern Plumas Winterfest – Graegle, CA, snowshoe, cross country and long board ski races. Festival is held President Day Weekend.

Sun Valley Nordic Festival – Hailey, Ketchum and Sun Valley ID, celebrates the 200K of trails that surround Nordic Town. The festival has a variety of races, seminars and other snow events for every ability.

Midwest

Winter Tracks Festival, – Grand Marais, MN.

Canada

Ottawa and Gatineau, Quebec host Winterlude for three consecutive weekends in celebration of winter. Though technically not a ski festival it is one to experience.

At the same time, the Canadian Ski Marathon is held. This two-day, 160 kilometre ski event from Lachute to Gatineau is divided into five sections each day, with an average of 16 kms per section. Skiers of all ages and abilities are welcome to participate. One can ski as little as 12 km or up to the maximum of 160 km over the weekend.

In Quebec, the Tour de Laurentides is a multi-day endurance adventure. It helps if you can speak French, and it is pretty much necessary that you be expert at classic wax techniques in order to achieve maximum performance from your skis.

Races

Western US

Near Ketchum Idaho, the 32 km Boulder Mountain Tour from Galena Lodge to the Sawtooth National Recreation Headquarters is gently rolling and has an elevation drop of 1100 feet. The race is designated as an open skate race, however, there is a single track at the side of the course for those who prefer to use classic technique.

Badger Pass near Yosemite hosts a weekend of Nordic Holiday Races , including a telemark, classic and freestyle race out to Glacier Point and back…no time to stop and enjoy the view!

In California, Far West Nordic Ski Education Association provides skiing programs, waxing clinics and sponsors a number of very popular ski races, including, a race in Yosemite to Glacier Point, a marathon in Mammoth and The Great Race from Tahoe to Truckee.